Chapter 20

As Marcella’s voice trembled, Cain couldn’t bring himself to be harsh. Marcella was his only family, his stepmother. Despite the disappointment he had felt in his childhood, witnessing the greed and ambition of his stepmother, he couldn’t abandon Marcella.

She had saved him from his father’s abuse and torture, and she had protected him from numerous assassination attempts by his relatives. If Marcella were to suddenly leave the duchy, it would undoubtedly cause a stir in society. It wouldn’t be good for Lariana or Marcella herself.

Cain decided to take a step back for now. Nodding in agreement as a sign of accepting the proposal, Cain promptly left the greenhouse without hesitation. He needed to take care of the wedding ceremony.

? ? ?

Life was unpredictable. It could be as calm as a stagnant sea and then suddenly be engulfed by a storm. The same was true for Lariana’s life. Just when everything seemed to be going well, a sudden change occurred.

Several days had passed since she last saw Cain. This spring, there was an unusual drought in the Martessen region. The fertile lands of the Delacroix family’s estate were no exception, and as a result, the duties of the Duke Delacroix became overwhelming.

Cain was burdened with his responsibilities and couldn’t spare a moment of his time. Unable to do anything about it, Lariana had to prepare for the wedding with his stepmother, Marcella. Maybe Marcella had a conversation with Cain, so she had given her permission for the marriage. However, that didn’t mean she accepted Lariana.

Larriana made an effort to please Marcella. Despite Marcella’s coldness, she tried to be kind and occasionally flattered her.

She also completely changed her way of life. She eliminated the habit of sleeping in and started studying about the Delacroix family from early morning.

However, no matter how hard she tried, the situation did not improve. Marcella continued to torment Lariana under the pretext of teaching her, pouring out verbal abuse.

As the days passed, Lariana couldn’t ignore Lejandro’s warning. Was Cain truly insane? Did he still want to kill her? These questions kept swirling in her mind, causing her a headache.

After spending the whole day enduring Marcella’s torment, Lariana sat on the bed, resting her head against the bedpost. She had been suffering from unbearable headaches for the past few days.

“Lady!”

“Jena, what’s wrong? Did the Duke come to see me?”

“The knight from Heliosen who took the marriage proposal has returned!”

“Really?”

“Yes. He brought a letter from the lord. Here it is!”

Lariana, wiping her tears, stood up from the bed. Jena, with teary eyes, handed her a white envelope sealed with the Heliosen emblem.

As soon as Lariana saw the Heliosen emblem on the letter, it felt like she would burst into tears. Without even waiting to receive the letter opener from Jena, she opened the letter.

[My beloved daughter, Lariana,
As a father, I couldn’t sleep peacefully since I sent you alone to Petika.

When the knight from the Delacroix family visited Heline and presented the wedding proposal letter, I was greatly surprised. I am not sure if this marriage is truly the right choice for my daughter.

Marriage is a matter of your entire life and should be entirely your own will. It should never be forced or pushed upon you by anyone. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to marry right now. Father will support whatever decision you make. Whether you marry or not, you will always be my proud daughter. My daughter, Lariana, who is more precious to me than my own life.

Please forgive your father for not being able to write longer letters due to the attack on the Rindell domains. I will come to you as soon as possible so that you can reconsider the marriage.

Viento Heliosen.]

Lariana held her father’s letter close, which was filled with his worries and concerns about her. She kissed the letter repeatedly.

“Father…”

“My lady, please don’t cry. I feel like crying too.”

“In a few days, father will come.”

“Really? The lord? Then the knights will come too, right? I can finally see the people of Heline again?”

Jena sat down on the spot, covering her face with both hands and sobbing.

Lariana crouched down and hugged Jena.

“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me. If I hadn’t insisted on coming to Petika and making my debut in the high society, you wouldn’t have had to leave your hometown and suffer like this. I shouldn’t have believed in Cain’s words and come to Petika.”

Lariana felt a genuine pain in her heart. Jena had also suffered and left her hometown because of her. Despite experiencing all sorts of hardships, Jena had never shed a tear, but now she cried at the mention of Heline.

She shouldn’t have come to the capital. She should have made her debut and married a nobleman of similar rank. But now, it was truly irreversible. She could only accept the fate in front of her.

? ? ?

The corridor outside the strict and ruthless Duke’s office was filled with silence. The only sound echoing in the empty corridor was the clacking of shoes. At the end of the corridor, where the portraits of the famous ancestors of the Delacroix family were hung, Lariana stood.

“Cain! I have something to say!”

Lariana pounded on Cain’s office door. Her cries echoed endlessly in the corridor.

Just a few days ago, she had made up her mind to accept her fate, but Lariana’s patience had reached its limit. The time for marriage preparation was ridiculously short. Martenssen’s nobles usually took about a year to prepare for marriage. Even if the two families worked together, there was not enough time, but Cain concealed his whereabouts.

Despite being in the same Delacroix mansion, they couldn’t meet at all.

After making a fuss for a long time, Hayden, Cain’s aide, finally appeared from the slightly open door. When the door opened, Lariana tried to rush in, but Hayden swiftly closed the door.

“Lady Heliosen. The lord is very busy with adjusting the taxation in the territory.”

Lariana recalled a passage from her father’s letter. ‘You don’t have to get married…’ She wondered if she could still change her life.

“I understand that the lord is busy, but why won’t he meet me when he’s inside?”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s not much time left until the wedding.”

“I am only following the lord’s instructions.”

“Yes, of course. Why would he listen to me if I keep babbling here every day? I’ll stop bothering him.”

“What?”

Hayden responded with a puzzled tone to Lariana’s words.

Lariana smiled as she thought about how she could change her fate even now.

“Lady Heliosen. You’re here.”

The ever-polite butler, Hanson, came running from a distance to find Lariana. She couldn’t help but sigh. Most of the time, Hanson’s visits were for one thing: the summons from Marcella.

“What’s the matter? Does Duchess Delacroix call for me again?”

“Well, it’s not that…”

Hanson hesitated to speak. What could it be this time?

Just thinking about Marcella made Lariana’s heart beat faster. The mere thought made her anxious, sweaty, and even gave her a headache.

“Please tell me.”

Hanson, who had been observing Lariana’s reaction for a while, finally spoke up. “Lady Heliosen… Count Heliosen has… fallen in battle during the Rindell expedition.”

Lariana and Hayden both looked at Hanson simultaneously. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze and kept his head lowered. Even Hayden, taken aback, glanced at Lariana, trying to gauge her reaction.

Lariana tilted her head slightly and put on a faint smile.

“Hanson, my father, or rather, Count Heliosen, was a great warrior of the Northeast. He bravely jumped into the midst of the turmoil where the Rindell rebels were swarming and saved the people of the domain. Who could spread such an absurd and unbelievable news?”

Although her tone was calm, Lariana’s voice became almost inaudible toward the end.

“Heline’s knight, Sir Leffe, is waiting in the reception room.”

“Ha…”

At the mention of Sir Leffe, a sigh escaped Lariana’s lips.

If the news came from Sir Leffe, it couldn’t be false. Sir Leffe was the commander of Heline’s knights and practically the right-hand man of Count Heliosen.

Moreover, even with a skilled knight riding tirelessly from Heline to the capital Petika, it would take at least a day to cover the distance.

Who would go to such lengths to spread a lie?

“Lady Heliosen, please wait for a moment. I will convey the Count’s obituary to the lord.”

Nodding weakly, Lariana gripped the door to Cain’s office. The mahogany door, as red as blood, felt cool against her touch.

She was alone in this world. It felt unreal, lacking any sense of reality. She couldn’t even believe it herself, as if her tears had dried up completely. She just numbly waited for Cain.

“Um… Lady Heliosen.”

“Yes?”

Hayden scratched the back of his head and emerged from the office alone.

“The lord has expressed his intention to support a grand funeral. However, considering the upcoming wedding, Lady Heliosen, it would be best for you not to attend…” Read ahead here.